How to plan an epic Halloween in Salem, MA

Last Updated on October 22, 2024

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When it comes to celebrating Halloween, no place does it like Salem, Massachusetts. Known around the world as the site of the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692, the town is the unofficial Halloween Capital of the world. While this picturesque, seaside town is great to visit year round, it’s in October when it truly comes alive. People travel from all over to celebrate Halloween in Salem.

Having said that, don’t feel the need to wait until the actual Halloween day to have a fun experience. In Salem, Halloween is not a one day event, but a month long celebration. The closer to the big day it gets, the more crowded the city is. I’ve experienced Salem both early in October and on the actual Halloween and I highly recommend the former. The actual Halloween is Salem is a total madness, so unless you don’t mind the massive crowds and other challenges that come with it, plan your visit early in the month.

I live less than one hour away and have been to Salem many times and I love it any time of the year. But Salem in October is my absolute favorite! If you are one of the people who always wanted to spend Halloween in Salem, this guide is for you. It really is a great time to visit the city, but you need to plan ahead in order to have a great experience and not leave disappointed.

As someone who’s been to Salem in October many times, I put together a list of tips and suggestions of what to do and what not to do, to help you make your Halloween in Salem a memorable one.

Halloween in Salem, MA – Things to know before you visit Salem in October

Book your hotel early – if you plan to visit Salem for more than just one day, make sure to book your accommodations early. And by early I mean, months in advance. Fall and Halloween is the busiest tourist season in Salem and hotels in the city book up even up to a year in advance.

Take the train – especially if you are visiting on a day trip from Boston. Parking can be a nightmare, and some roads will be closed to accommodate the crowds. Taking the train is easy, cheap and MBTA increases the number of trains going in and out of Salem, to encourage people to leave their cars at home. Once you get to Salem, the train station is just a short walk away from all the action.

Or the ferry – you can also get to Salem from Boston by ferry. Boston Harbor Cruises ferry runs from mid-May through the end of October leaving from Long Wharf in Boston several times a day. You can book your Salem ferry tickets here.

Parking – if you do drive into Salem, plan to arrive as early in the day as possible. The garages fill up quickly, especially on the weekends. One of the best and least expensive options is the MBTA parking garage. On October weekends, you can also use one of the three satellite parking lots and take a free shuttle into the city. You can find more information here.

Visit on a weekday – if you can visit Salem mid-week instead of waiting for the weekend, go for it. The crowds are noticeably smaller on a weekday, and you still get the same fun experience. By Thursday crowds start picking up and weekends are insanely busy.

Pre-book attractions – buy your tickets for tours, museums and any other attractions ahead of time. Basically anything you can book in advance, you should absolutely book in advance. Some of the attraction even require you book your tickets online before.

Venture off Essex St – while the Pedestrian Mall Street gets packed with people, other areas of Salem like Derby Street, Pickering Wharf and Chestnut Street are not crowded, even in October. So, whether to escape the crowds or explore other parts of Salem, be sure get away from Essex Street for a bit.

Make dinner reservations – a lot of restaurants don’t take reservations in October, but if you have your heart set on one and they do, make sure to make one. Turners, Ledgers and Finz are some of the restaurants, where you can reserve a table in advance, and all are great places to eat. But with so many people visiting Salem in October, expect a very long wait at most places, that don’t accept reservations.

Download the Destination Salem app – this app is a great source of information on anything Salem related. You will also get the latest updates on parking availability, ticket sales, road closures etc.

Bring a lot of patience – if you decide to visit Salem in October, you need to have patience. This is a small city and the number of visitors is at an all time high this year. Expect to wait in lines for stores and restaurants. Halloween in Salem is fun, but it gets crazy busy and locals work insane amount of hours all month to give you a great experience. Be patient, be kind to staff and tip well!

Halloween in Salem – Best things to do in Salem in October

In this Salem guide, I focus mostly on the Halloween themed attractions and activities. If you want more ideas on what to do in Salem, check out Visiting Salem, MA – best things to do in the Witch City.

Haunted Happenings

Haunted Happenings is a series of events, that take place throughout the month of October. The month long celebration kicks off with the Haunted Happenings Grand parade, that usually takes place on the first Thursday of October and ends with the spectacular fireworks over Salem Common. In between, you have live music, Family Film Nights, street fairs and one of the bigger events, the annual Costume Ball, hosted by the Hawthorne Hotel.

Be sure to check out the entire schedule on the Haunted Happenings website.

Take a Ghost Tour

As one of most haunted cities in America, Salem has no shortage of haunted places and ghost stories, that come with it. There are many amazing tours to choose from and it might be a bit overwhelming which one to choose. Here are some of the top rated ones, that definitely won’t disappoint.

• History and Hauntings of Salem Walking Tour – this 2-hour walking tour is one of the best you can take in Salem. It’s a perfect combination of spooky ghost stories, history, architecture and maritime history. If it’s your first time in Salem, this is the perfect tour to take, as it’s a great introduction to the city. Beth Crowley who owns and runs the Witch City Walking Tours is a long time Salem resident and a historian, so she really knows her stuff. Her tours, especially this one, are some of the highest rated in Salem and always sell out. Be sure to book early! There are about 10 of these tours daily. Choose one early in the day , if you want to get a lay of the land or one at nighttime for spooky ambience.

• Mysteries and Murders Walking Tour – another amazing tour offered by Witch City Walking Tours, the top rated tour company in Salem. This 90-minute tour is offered at night only and focuses solely on the dark side of Salem. You’ll hear plenty of murder and mystery stories, some quite gruesome. For that reason, Mysteries and Murders Walking Tour is suitable for ages 13+.

• Salem Voodoo, Vampires and Ghosts Guided Walking Tour – this 90 min evening tour is said to be one of the scariest ghost tours in Salem. It focuses on retelling the events of the Witch Trials and visits some of Salem’s most notable sites. This tour is led by historians and paranormal investigators, which makes the tour both informative and entertaining. Even if you don’t believe in ghosts, you will leave this tour a bit spooked out.

Meet Salem street performers

When strolling the streets of Salem in October, you will also be able to see a lot of performers and people in costumes.  Most of them hang out up and down Essex Street and happily pose for pictures with tourists. Be sure to have some cash to throw in their tip jar.

Costumed performers like Joe’s Sax Appeal, the green faced witch BORAH! and Pennywise have become staple during Halloween in Salem. A lot them have regular, full-time jobs, so you are most likely to see them on the weekends. The closer to the big day, the more people in costumes you’ll see. BORAH!, which is one of the most beloved characters, is generally on Essex St, outside of Rockefellas restaurant Friday-Sunday from 10 am- 3pm.

It’s such a great addition to Salem and makes the Halloween season so much fun.

Enjoy the Halloween decorations

One of the most fun things to do during Halloween in Salem is to wander around and enjoy all the decorations. Some of the best ones can actually be found in the residential areas. A lot of the homes really go all out and put up amazing displays for everyone to enjoy.

There are two particular homes, that really love to decorate for Halloween and do an amazing job at it. To see the first one, you’ll have to walk away a bit from downtown area of Salem into the neighborhood with historic homes. One of them, located at 170 Federal Street, has the most amazing decorations and it gets better each year. The house looks even better at night, so come back after dark to see it all lit up.

Another must see display of Halloween decor in Salem is located on Derby Street, between Mercy Tavern and Ye Olde Pepper Candy store. They are very creative and creepy.

Of course be respectful of people’s homes. Do not trespass or touch any of the decorations.

Visit one of the Museums

October in Salem brings an abundance of Halloween themed attractions and museums. Some are better than others, but I find most of the them to be totally cheesy and tourist traps. But there are a couple of museums, that are I think are worth your time and money.

• Gallows Hill Museum – this is one of the top attractions in Salem in October. Gallows Hill Museum brings the Salem Witch Trials to life through amazing, theatrical experience. Especially fun is the newly added The Lost Museum, which is an underground, interactive haunted adventure. Gallows Hill has a variety of shows, and if you want to do more than one, take advantage of the combo tickets to save money.

• Count Orlok’s Nightmare Museum – if you are a horror movies fan, you will enjoy this place. It has many displays and holds plenty of memorabilia and costumes from well-known scary movies, from silent films to newer ones. Definitely sets the scary tone for your Salem visit.

Stop at Old Burying Point Cemetery and Salem Witch Trial Memorial

Even though Halloween in Salem is all about fun, it’s important to remember the tragic events of 1692 and the victims of the Salem Witch Trials. There is a very simple, but touching memorial right next to the Old Burying Point Cemetery, to those who were wrongly accused of practicing witchcraft, trialed and ultimately executed. The Memorial has 20 stone benches and each one of them represents one victim with their names and date of execution engraved on it.

Adjacent to the Memorial is the Old Burying Point Cemetery, the oldest cemetery in the city. It dates back to 1637, and many notable Salem residents are buried there.

Old Burying Point Cemetery is open every day 10 am-5pm. It’s free to visit, but you will need to make an online reservation to visit during the month of October. The reservations are free and are available the day of your visit. It’s a way to control the crowds and make sure not too many people visit at the same time.

Visit some of Salem’s Historic Homes

Salem has many historic homes and some of them are open visitors.

• The Witch House – this is the only house still standing, that has direct ties to the Salem Witch Trials. The house belonged to Judge Jonathan Corwin and is now open for self-guided tours. You can find it at 310 Essex Street (not far from the Bewitched Statue). In October and through November 14, online reservations are required. Tickets cost $9 and go on sale at 8 am for the day and sell out really fast, so if you want a chance to visit, be quick!

• The Ropes Mansion – just down the street from the Witch House is another historic house, best known as one of the filming locations of the Halloween classic Hocus Pocus. The Ropes Mansion is a beautiful, two-story Georgian house, which is now part of the Peabody Essex Museum and open to visitors for free.

• The Pickering House – this house was built in 1660, which makes it the oldest house in Salem. It belonged to Pickering family for 3 centuries. If you would like to take a peek, the house is open for tours on Sundays only from June-October (entrance fee is $10).

• The House of Seven Gables – this waterfront house was an inspiration behind the Nathanial Hawthorne novel by the same name. You can visit it on a self-guided tour. Tickets cost $25 and must be purchased online in advance (they get released monthly).

Take a Halloween themed cruise with Mahi Mahi

One of my favorite things to do in Salem is taking a boat cruise with Mahi Mahi. No better way to take a little break from all the walking around and enjoying the city from the water. It’s a seasonal activity, that runs from May through the end of October. The boats leave from Salem’s Pickering Wharf for a 75 min cruise.

They offer variety of harbor cruises and during October, the company adds special Halloween themed cruises, that include Tarot card reader and spooky ghost stories. These Halloween cruises are very popular, so make sure to book ahead of time.

Book a photoshoot at Witch Pix

Playing dress up is one of the fun parts of Halloween. If you want to take it to the next level and get some seriously amazing pictures to remember your Halloween in Salem, book a professional photo shoot at Witch Pix. They have over 300 costumes to choose from, along with props like brooms and cauldrons, as well as 3 photoshoot themes to choose from. It does get busy around Halloween, so pre-booking your photo shoot is highly recommended.

The Witch Pix studio is located on Essex Street, inside of The Witch City Mall.

Get a reading

If you are one of those people, who like to look into your future, you are in the right place. As it probably doesn’t come as a surprise, there are several places in Salem, that specialize in a psychic medium. A few of the most recommended places are OMEN, HEX: Old World Witchery and Pentagram Shoppe. Prices start at $35 and up depending on how long the reading is.

Enjoy a drink from the only roof top bar in Salem

If you want to take a break from all the walking and activity, there’s a great roof top bar at The Hotel Salem, right on Essex Street. They have fun fall drinks and small menu of mostly Mexican food. I personally have not eaten there, so I can’t say how the food is, but the drinks were great.

This is the only roof top bar you’ll find in Salem, with fun vibes and nice Salem views.

Walk around Salem Common after dark

Salem Common is a large green space in the heart of the city and a perfect place to take a little break from walking around. In October, it’s an especially fun place to be, as there is a lot happening in the park. From festivals to different fairs, decorations and fun photo ops, be sure to make a stop there while exploring Salem.

The park is especially fun to visit after dark, as it’s beautifully lit up with orange lights. These are actually lights, that have been put up for the filming of Adam Sandler’s movie Hubbie Halloween, but became a permanent fixture on the Salem Common. They fit in perfectly with the Halloween theme. There are also plenty of other fun photo props and displays to get some fun Halloween pictures.

Also, you’ll be right next door to the Salem Witch Museum, which lights up with different colors after dark.

Visit Salem Pioneer Village

Salem Pioneer Village, also known as Salem 1630, is the very first living history museum in the US. It was designed to represent Salem in 1630. If you are a Hocus Pocus fan, you will sure recognize Salem Pioneer Village from the opening scene of the movie.

It’s located at 310 West Ave, a couple miles away from the downtown area, so you’d need to either drive or hop in an Uber to get there. It’s open on weekends only 12-4pm and the entrance fee is $5.

If you are a Hocus Pocus movie fan, another filming location is just a few minute walk from the Salem Pioneer Village. Max and Dani’s house is at 4 Ocean Ave and it’s someone’s private home, so please respect their privacy and enjoy from the distance. If you are driving, leave the car at the Salem Pioneer Village parking lot and walk. You can’t park along Ocean Ave or any other streets nearby (Residents only).

Spend a night in a haunted hotel

Salem is one of the most haunted cities in America, so you can expect a lot of homes and places to be haunted. If you are spending Halloween in Salem and staying overnight, why not book a room in one of the haunted hotels. There are a few in town, where over the years, guests reported ghosts sightings and paranormal activity.

One of the most haunted hotels is The Hawthorne Hotel, which also happens to be one of the best places to stay in Salem. It first opened in 1925 and over the years many guests reported various ghost activity. The hotel was also named one of the most haunted hotels in America. Two specific rooms, 325 and 612, are supposed to be the ones with the most activity, so you can put in a special request when booking to better your chances of ghost encounters.

The Salem Inn is another place with reported ghost encounters. There are 3 separate buildings, that belong to the Inn and if you’re hoping to experience any strange activity, you should book Room 17 in the West House. According to the entries in the guestbooks, that’s the room where lots of paranormal activity took place.

Halloween in Salem – Where to stay in Salem, MA

Salem is not big and is very walkable, so as long as you stay in town, you will be close to most attractions. If you plan to visit in the Fall, especially in October, book your hotel early. The most popular hotels book up even up to a year in advance.

Having said that, you might be able to score a room last minute, if you keep checking and are flexible. Cancellations do happen, especially since people book so far in advance. I was able to score a room at The Hawthorne Hotel in October last minute, but I am local and very flexible with my schedule. Might not work for someone who needs to make travel arrangements way in advance.

There are plenty of Inns and historic hotels in Salem, but also more modern ones, if that’s your preference.

The Merchant – a beautiful boutique hotel, with just 11 rooms, located steps away from Essex Street. Ask for George Washington King Deluxe Room, if you’d like to spend a night in the same room where George Washington did when he visited Salem back in 1789.

Hawthorne Hotel – beautiful, historic hotel in the prime location, right next to Salem Common. Definitely one of the best places to stay in Salem, if you are lucky to score a room. The hotel has a tavern and a restaurant on site, fitness center and even free bikes available for guests’ use. There is a free parking on site as well.

Salem Waterfront Hotel & Suites – if you prefer modern accommodations, Salem Waterfront Hotel is where you want to stay. It’s located right on the water, in the beautiful Pickering Wharf area, a walking distance to all the attractions. There are several packages to choose from, and if you arrive in Salem by car, parking is free on site.

The Hotel Salem – another great choice if you are looking for a modern hotel. The Hotel Salem is right on Essex Street, so when you step out the door, you will be literally right in the middle of the action. It has 44 rooms and choices range from micro-rooms to spacious suites, depending on your needs and budget. The Hotel Salem is also home to the only rooftop bar in town, The Roof, where you can enjoy a cocktail after all day of sightseeing.

The Coach House – beautiful and elegant Inn, with comfortable and stylish rooms. Great choice of a hotel if you’d like to be close enough to all the attractions but removed from the downtown action. The Inn is about a 20-25 minute walk to downtown Salem or a quick Uber ride (do not drive in Salem in October!). If you are a Hocus Pocus fan, Max and Dani’s house is just down the street. Also, you are a short walk away from the Pioneer Village.

READ NEXT:

• Visiting Salem, MA – best things to do in the Witch City
• Fall in New England – top experiences of the season
• Free things to do in Boston – visiting Boston on a budget
• 13 Best Day Trips from Boston

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